There hasn’t really been any speculation linking Tomas Rosicky with an exit this summer but that hasn’t stopped his agent publicly stating that the Czech international will definitely be an Arsenal player next season.

The 32-year-old signed a short-term contract extension in March 2012 – a reward for demonstrating his best form since arriving in London in 2006 – only for a troublesome plantaris tendon problem, exacerbated at the European Championships, to again force him under the surgeon’s knife.

Despite being side-lined for the first half of the season, the midfielder has again forced his way back into Arsene Wenger’s first XI with his recent match-winning brace against West Brom a fitting demonstration of his ability to dictate games.

Confident that his client still has what it takes to perform at the required level, agent Pavel Paska, head of the International Sport Management, told Aktuálně.cz, “Rosicky will remain at Arsenal, it is one hundred per cent [certain].”

The report claims that the likes of Wolfsburg, Galatasaray (seemingly linked with everyone?) Olympiakos and AS Roma had previously shown an interest in signing Rosicky.

Peter Hill-Wood has dismissed speculation linking Arsene Wenger with a move away from Arsenal stating that the Frenchman is very happy in North London.

Speed-dialling his favourite red-top, the Daily Star, the old-Etonian pooh-poohed suggestions that Paris Saint German were on the cusp of stealing Wenger away from the Emirates by reasserting that the 63-year-old is under contract for another year.

“I think this is complete nonsense – in fact, I know it is complete nonsense,” said Hill-Wood.

When quizzed about the final year of Wenger’s contract being optional, the Gunners chairman continued: “That is news to me and I would certainly know if there was one.

“He is happy as Larry and the whole thing is complete rubbish.”

That, along with Wenger’s own denial, should just about draw a line under all the drivel that has been written in the last 48 hours.

Bonus reading: The meaning and origin of the expression, “As happy as Larry.” 

Last week rumours in the French press suggested Arsene Wenger would soon sit down with the Paris Saint Germain board to discuss the possibility of taking over the managerial reins at the Parc des Princes.

Unsurprisingly, the boss has given short shrift to the speculation asserting, as he always has, that he does not walk away from contracts.

“I’m preparing for the next match [against QPR] and next season with Arsenal,” Wenger made clear again after yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United.

“I’ve always seen my contracts through, and it’s not at my age that I’m going to change.”

With a deal keeping him at the Emirates until the end of next season it looks almost certain that the Frenchman will be at the helm for at least another 13 months unless of course the board have other plans.

Despite the unequivocal denial of any interest in the PSG job you can fully expect the papers to run another story linking him with the post once Carlo Ancelotti walks away/gets the chop (delete as appropriate) this summer.

It is after all only four months since he last had to deny this story…

Theo Walcott has shed light on his protracted contract negotiations with Arsene Wenger revealing his anger at being left on the bench and how face-to-face discussions with the boss forced him to mature.

Talking to The Times [£], the attacker – as he did throughout the ‘stand-off’ – also stressed that money was not the key factor as to why the process took so long.

“Last season I played for 52 games and then I was left out for nine — it was very difficult,” said Walcott. “Being left out made me angry.”

“Going to see the manager used to be like sitting outside the headmaster’s office, biting my nails, thinking, ‘Oh s***, what am I going to do now?’ Feeling like I was sweating,” he continued.

“But I think the whole business showed me that I had to decide what I wanted and go for it. I think that did change me. I would like to think I’m still a nice guy, well brought up, but maybe more determined now to get what I want. If I want to talk to the manager, I’ll go do it.

“Maybe in the past I would fret — ‘Should I, shouldn’t I?’ That’s a different side of me. I came out of the meeting with bit more understanding of what the manager wanted and that’s fine. As long as I did what he asked I was back in the team.”

Despite signing a £100,000 a week deal at the end of January, a contract which made him one of the club’s highest earners, Walcott stressed that so little was money a concern that he didn’t even listen to what other offers were on the table elsewhere.

“People now can surely see it didn’t revolve entirely around money. I could have hung on and walked out for nothing and who knows what I could have made then? My agent might know, but he never told me and I never asked. I just wanted to be in the team, playing well.

“I always said I wanted to stay. I know what I owed to Arsenal and to the manager, getting me when I was 16. I did want to repay the club. Others might say that and not believe it, but I do.”

Seemingly happy to have drawn a line under the whole debacle the England international suggested that rather than damage relations with Arsene Wenger the difficult period has instead taken his relationship with Arsenal and the boss to another level.

“When a club and a manager have shown interest in you at such a young age, when you’ve done next to nothing in the game, and they’ve helped you reach the top level, helped you develop and work around top players, you don’t lightly walk away from that. I wanted to stay because I still think this club can go on to achieve something. It’s ‘when’ and not ‘if’ we win something.

“If anything came out of it all, I think it’s a bit more respect between me and the manager. We’ve shown faith in each other and I feel there is a bit more responsibility on me to create something out of nothing.”

Supporters will no doubt draw their own conclusions about the above. In truth none of it really matters anymore, the key is really that Walcott finds his best form in the last few weeks and helps us finish as high up the table as possible. Given we’re without a central forward for the next three games he may even have another chance to prove himself in the one position he really fancies.

Arsene Wenger has dismissed suggestions that Thomas Vermaelen could leave this summer despite the player being benched in recent weeks and speculation linking him with an exit.

Vermaelen, who will return to Arsenal’s starting lineup this weekend in place of the suspended Per Mertesacker, has not started a game since Arsenal’s defeat to Spurs at the beginning of March leading certain slack-jawed hacks in the nation’s grubbier publications to moot a move to Barcelona.

However, underlining that the Belgian international has a long-term contract, signed in October 2011, the boss again reiterated that not playing every week is a fact of life at a football club where there is competition for places.

“Yes, of course [he stays],” Wenger told press ahead of Saturday’s game with Norwich.

“He has a long-term contract. He is our captain and periods where you don’t play can happen. That’s part of our job, to be in competition or not.”

One man who won’t be sporting the red and white next season is Andrei Arshavin. Out of contract at the end of the season, the boss admitted that the tubby Russian will leave the Emirates in the summer although he did reserve praise for the winger’s professionalism during his stint on the sidelines.

“His contract ends at the end of the season and then he will decide what to do,” said Wenger. “I don’t think he will stay here because he doesn’t play enough.”

“I must say that publicly I would like to give him credit, because he is working absolutely every session at 100 per cent commitment.

“He is an example to everybody, because he has been questioned about his commitment many times. If you saw him every day you would respect him for what he is doing on a daily basis. It is absolutely fantastic.”

Arseblog News is amused to learn that commitment to cake eating is something that Wenger admires. We’re off to la patisserie to stock up…

Andrey Arshavin, remember him?

Tubby little fella, infectious laugh, cheeky grin, arrived in London hanging on the coattails of a blizzard, impish baller turned saggy sub, smacked four past Liverpool one barmy night in April 2009? Yeah you know the one…

Well according to the Evening Standard he’s thinking about hanging up his boots this summer despite the fact he’s only 32.

It seems an extreme decision, but then things haven’t really gone to plan for the man Arsene Wenger signed from Zenit St Petersburg over four years ago. A marquee signing if ever there was one at the Emirates his career now more closely resembles a tent swallowed by a hurricane.

A near ever present in his first couple of years in London, despite erratic form, he never seemed to get to grips with the physicality and pace of the Premier League (all that running around and whatnot) and was eventually reduced to the bench last season before retreating to the sanctity of his hometown on loan with Zenit.

Having won the Russian title while in St Petersburg it was firmly believed that Arshavin would make a permanent switch to the Petrovsky Stadium in the summer. Alas, following a below-par Euro 2012 – and some ill-advised comments about his country’s fans – he found himself an isolated figure and returned to a pre-season at Arsenal with little chance of regaining a first team place.

This term Arshavin has started two Premier League games, lost his place in the Russian national team under management from Fabio Capello and reportedly rejected the chance to move to Reading in January despite the Royals lodging an accepted £1 million bid. Complications in his private life have further compounded his misery.

While it is not confirmed that Arshavin will be retiring when his contract with Arsenal ends this summer it does look as though he’s given up on any semblance of a career at the highest level. A man who courted Barcelona, made Zenit a household name, wowed the crowds at Euro 2008 and captured the imagination of Gooners worldwide with flashes of brilliance looks to have given up. It’s a real shame.

Arseblog News lets out a sigh and can’t help but wonder what might have been…

According to a very brief report on Dutch website Ad.nl, Arsenal’s 19-year-old midfielder Kyle Ebecilio is attracting interest from both PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente.

Moving to the Gunners from Feyenoord in 2010, the Rotterdam-born Holland youth international was quick making headlines when he was endowed as the Golden Player at the 2011 under-17 European Championship. Nevertheless, despite progressing through the Academy ranks injuries have taken their toll this term restricting him to ten outings spread between the club’s under-21s and NextGen side.

With only three months left on his contract at Arsenal the teenager will be free to move this summer should he not be offered an extension. Speaking about Ebecilio’s future a representative from management company P4P Sports Group has claimed interest not just from teams in his homeland but across the continent.

“There is plenty of interest from the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. We won’t talk about the names of clubs, but it’s big clubs. Kyle will make a decision this month. ”

As is often the case with the club’s under-21 players a number will likely be moved on this summer. Jeorge Bird, Arseblog News’ youth specialist, claims that those likely to depart include Conor Henderson, Craig Eastmond, James Shea and Sanchez Watt.

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Hat tip to @RYO_Cleverfish for the link.

According to a report in the Brazilian media, Sao Paulo now have no interest in keeping Denilson on a permanent basis once his loan ends at the end of June meaning Arsenal will have to source another buyer if they are to offload the midfielder this summer.

Despite earning regular game time, estadao.com.br claim that a recent drop in form (comedy own goal anyone?) and an untimely and unseemly spat with a fan via social media will cost Denilson the chance to strut his stuff at the Morumbi in the long-term.

The 25-year-old initially returned to his former club on a temporary basis ahead of the 2011/12 season before being granted an extension for the length of this term after impressing during last year’s Sao Paulo’s Copa Sudamerica triumph.

As recently as January Sao Paulo spoke positively about keeping Denilson with vice-president Paulo de Jesus Lopes stating:

“I believe we’ll reach an agreement with Arsenal. We have heard from Denilson that he doesn’t want to return to England, that he wants to stay here with us.

“I think our relations with Arsenal will help that to happen.”

The player himself also talked about the potential deal in February claiming that talks had already begun.

“We are talking slowly. I have a quiet mind as I feel the confidence of São Paulo in me. I believe that we can get it right, but I prefer to focus on the matches.

“Lets leave the contract to my lawyer to resolve with São Paulo.”

Alas, highlighting three main reasons for not pushing forward with the deal, Estadao’s report first claims the player has lost the trust of the management due to a lack of effort before citing Arsenal’s £7 million asking price and alternative midfield options as key factors in Sao Paulo’s change of tack.

The article maintains that Sao Paulo, presumably out of respect for the player, won’t speak publicly of their desire to return Denilson to North London until his contract ends on 30 June.

Amazingly, having signed a new deal at Arsenal in September 2009, our crab-like DM still has another year left on his contract at the Emirates. He’s not played for us since May 2011 but with one last chance to get a fee for him this summer Arseblog News suggests Ivan Gazidis and Dick Law start sending YouTube links and highlight DVDs to as many clubs as possible…

It’s either that or we accept he’s going to be paraded as Diaby’s replacement.

Thomas Vermaelen has joined Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker and Wojciech Szczesny in stressing his commitment to the Arsenal cause dismissing any suggestion that Barcelona have approached him about a summer move

The Gunners captain also spoke about being dropped in recent weeks following a poor run of form stressing that he’s not unduly worried about the development and going so far as to joke that only Lionel Messi plays without mistakes.

“It will not be the last time that this happens,” the Belgian told voetbalkrant.com about spending time on the bench.

“As a professional footballer you know this is a possibility, I’m not worried. It is also only the last two games, for the rest of the season I played almost all the time, about 35 matches.

“Arsenal is also not a bad team, you know, of course there is competition [for places]. I have indeed made ​​mistakes, If I’d played all games flawlessly, I would have been Messi.”

Talking about his future at the Emirates, he continued: “My focus is on Arsenal. It is far from the end of the season. I’ve learned in football not to look too far ahead. From Barcelona I have not heard anything, no.”

Given that Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal have each just signed contracts at the Emirates Arseblog News is just waiting on Bacary Sagna to confess his undying love for the Gunners and we’ll have completed the set.

The sensible money is on Johan Djourou beating him to it mind…

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Arseblog News translated this article from its original language. Please provide attribution to this article’s original URL (which is handily positioned in your browser’s address bar) when you copy and paste the quotes into content for your website and/or publication.

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Thanks to @SiuFay for the heads up.

Theo Walcott admits that Arsene Wenger’s indication that he has a future as a striker proved a turning point in his drawn out contract negotiations.

The England international was repeatedly confined to substitute cameos at the start of the season while he stalled on a new deal but was eventually encouraged to put pen-to-paper in January after a comparatively successful stint leading the line for the Gunners; a role he’d had his eye on for quite some time.

Reflecting on the speculation which surrounded his future, the 23-year-old pinpointed his attacking ambitions while making clear, in that ‘king-of-the-bland-sound-bite’ way of his, that he has no problem functioning from the wing while Olivier Giroud is playing well. Naturally he also left out the bit where he agreed a six-figure sum for his weekly services.

“I think having an opportunity to play up front played a part. Saying that, I don’t feel we should change it at the moment with Olivier doing so well there. The manager obviously knows what’s best for the team, but it’s nice having more opportunities to show what I can do up front.”

Walcott also touched on his form this season admitting that he may have to set himself a new target for the end of the season having reached 18 goals; just two shy of his 20-mark objective.

“I wanted 20 goals in all competitions, so I may have to set another target! But I also wanted between 15 and 20 Premier League goals, and I’m on 11 at the moment.

“Assists are a bonus, but for a wide man, the number of goals I’ve got so far is definitely better than I would’ve thought.”

Given that this interview was initially published in the club’s official monthly magazine quite some time ago (before being uploaded on Arsenal.com today) Arseblog News can’t help but think Theo may have spoken a little too soon. After all he’s now been eight games without a goal since his second-half drive in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the end of January.

Fingers crossed he gets in the goal groove again soon…from experience we all know it sometimes takes him a while to start doing what he says he plans to do.

It’s not like there have been any serious rumours linking Laurent Koscielny with an exit but having been confined to the bench for much of this season, due to a combination of injury and dodgy form, the French press have taken it upon themselves to question our centre-back on whether his future lies at Arsenal.

Given it’s only eight months since he penned a new long-term deal at the Emirates, the 27-year-old made clear that despite a complicated season he has no intention of quitting London.

“This season has been more difficult for me. I’ve had injuries and some disappointing performances.

“I’m not worrying about my future at Arsenal. I still have four years on my contract, the club has confidence in me.

“I feel good in London and so do my family. I don’t want to go elsewhere.”

Reflecting on the Gunners’ aims for the rest of the season Koscielny also reasserted the positive mood in the camp as they look to secure Champions League qualification again.

“We had certain objectives at Arsenal, we have one left: fourth place. The mood is good, it’s better.”

All sensible stuff from Laurent. Let’s hope he comes through his bout of international duty with his confidence and limbs intact. The former Lorient man has looked much more like his old self in the last couple of games and he could well prove a vital player in the season’s climax.

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Quotes translated by @DanLevy1 (not the Spurs one) from timeline of Eurosport France.

Arsenal have confirmed that Emmanuel Frimpong will spend the rest of the season on loan with Fulham.

The Ghanaian midfielder, who has spent much of the last two years battling serious injury and brainstorming new words with relatives in the music industry, has already spent six-weeks with Charlton this term.

In need of first team football having fallen behind Francis Coquelin in Arsene Wenger’s pecking order, the 21-year-old will be hoping for more playing time than he’s had at the Emirates where he’s been restricted to two League Cup appearances.

Frimpong won’t be the only Arsenal Academy graduate on the banks of the River Thames, the feisty midfielder joins forces with fellow ex-Gooners Philippe Senderos and Steve Sidwell as alien-headed Martin Jol looks to resurrect the Cottagers stuttering season.

Arseblog News wishes Frimpong all the best for the season and trusts he won’t spend too much time having to fetch Dimitar Berbatov’s slippers and ciggies.

Arsenal have confirmed that Theo Walcott has penned a new long-term deal at the club bringing a positive end to the Gunners latest interminable ‘will he, won’t he’ contract saga.

It is believed that the England international has successfully sealed a £100,000-a-week, three-and-a-half-year package with reports suggesting his delegates have also pocketed him a hefty signing on fee in the region of £3 million. The deal makes Walcott one of the club’s highest paid stars.

Having done their utmost to drive a hard bargain over the last 18 months it looks as though the board had little choice but to soften their stance with the player able to leave N5 at the end of the season on a free.

Outflanked on the negotiation front, Ivan Gazidis and Dick Law can at least take heart from the fact that one of the squad’s most marketable faces remains at the club despite obvious interest from rival Premier League clubs. Indeed, given the high-profile departures of Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas it represents something of a bitter-sweet feat for the beleaguered duo.

Walcott becomes the sixth British player to sign a contract extension at Arsenal in quick succession with new deals signed last month by Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Carl Jenkinson.

Having signed Walcott as a 16-year-old from Southampton in January 2006, Arsene Wenger spoke of his delight at keeping the winger-cum-striker at the Emirates.

“We are all delighted that Theo has signed a new contract. He joined us as a 16-year-old and since then has developed very well to become an extremely important player for both Arsenal Football Club and England.

“Theo is a strong player and also a great person, and the combination of his ability and pace always make him such a valuable asset either from the flanks or down the middle. Theo’s contract extension now gives us a strong nucleus of ambitious young players who have committed to the Club and want to be successful with us as a group.”

Walcott, who has previously spoken not just about playing as a striker but also of emulating the achievements of mentor Thierry Henry, also went on record stating his happiness at committing his long-term future to the Gunners.

“I am very happy to have signed a new contract here at Arsenal. Thanks to everyone for their continued support, especially the manager, everyone at the club and most importantly the fans. I have made it clear from the start that I wanted to stay at Arsenal so I am pleased we have agreed a deal that everyone is happy with. What’s important now is for the team to realise its potential and win trophies.”

Arseblog News is very glad to see a line drawn under the uncertainty, wishes Theo all the best on the wing (just kidding champ…) and urges all Arsenal fans to resist the temptation to use slang in describing how he utilised a pen to sign off on the deal.

Now for some new faces…

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that his scouts are keeping tabs on Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha and also asserted that Theo Walcott could sign a new deal at the club before the weekend.

Zaha, who recently won his first England cap, has long been tipped for a move to the Emirates although with Manchester United (remember Chris Smalling and Phil Jones?) also sniffing around the highly-rated 20-year-old he stopped short of suggesting a deal was likely.

“We are looking at him, but at the moment we have had no bid,” Wenger told press at his pre-Chelsea press conference.

Eager to stress that competition in the market was high, he continued: “Whenever you call about any player, Man United or Milan are also interested.”

After rumours circulated yesterday that Napoli striker Edinson Cavani could be on his shopping list, Wenger seemed to find the link humorous joking that the Uruguayan would be very expensive.

“He would cost a lot of money. Our banker lives nearby he’s ready if we need him. I like him.”

For those looking for further chinks of light on the transfer front, Wenger also detailed how 90% of deals don’t happen until the final week of the window when prices drop rapidly. We’re a little suspicious of this having seen Andy Carroll and Fernando Torres move for a combined fee of £80 million not so long ago, but what do we know…

On Theo contract talks the boss for the first time since the saga began underlined that a resolution is finally on the horizon.

“My optimism is at 99 per cent,” he replied when quizzed about Walcott penning a new deal in the near future, before clarifying, ”It’s still not finalised, but I hope it will be done by this weekend.”

All in all quite positive. While Arseblog News continues to take Wenger’s words on the transfer window with a pinch of salt, it does look as though Walcott might actually be set to stay.

We’ll be the first to admit we didn’t think that likely given the way these things have panned out in the past. The ins and outs of the deal will obviously be up for debate, so too the manner in which both parties have conducted themselves, but for now let’s just wait for confirmation.

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Thanks to @JamesOlley and @JohnCrossMirror for their respective live tweets

The obstacles hindering Arsenal’s progress in the transfer market appear to have doubled in recent days with Arsene Wenger hinting that not only are he and his team still pre-occupied with teaching Theo Walcott how to write his name, but that Dick Law and Ivan Gazidis have been drafted into the Colin-Lewin led medical team to help fix Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky.

“We are working very hard,” Wenger told Arsenal Player about the activity of the club’s hierarchy during January.

“First of all we want to sort out the injuries we have, and we are trying very hard to close the deal with Walcott.”

Tapping his nose as the soundtrack to the Pink Panther played in the background, the boss continued, “Once we have done that, we will certainly do something else. At the moment I cannot tell you more.”

Presumably Arsene’s talking about extending Ivan’s work experience. Perhaps giving him a run-out in the defensive midfield position with Dick being deployed in the Bergkamp role? Or maybe he’s just thinking about taking the gang out for dinner…who knows. In case you thought the boss was hinting at signing new players, he clarified that it’s difficult because we’re just so damned good already.

“It has become more difficult [to buy players in January] for one simple reason: we have a good squad. I know we swim against the stream a bit because people don’t believe that. I say we have a very good squad.

“But we have some improvements to make and we know exactly where. In January it is difficult to find the players that are really better and can give something special to the squad. The number is right, we have a good balance and we are working very hard to find what we want.”

Arseblog News sighs the most wistful of sighs. Wake us when time travel has been invented and we can go back to May 2004.

Despite reports this week suggesting that Theo Walcott had signed a new contract with Arsenal, Arsene Wenger admitted today that nothing has been completed and that he remains cautious over the whole situation.

At his pre-game press conference he said, “As long as nothing is signed, you are cautious. I’m optimistic we’ll get to a happy conclusion.”

Although he did indicate some progress, “The discussions have progressed smoothly but slowly”, and also hinted that he’d deploy the England man more centrally, “He just wants to play. He is happy to play on the flank as well. I see him playing more up front.”

Which would make you think that signing a striker is not high on the agenda. Regarding the transfer market, there was some classic Wenger bingo. Pressed on whether or not new players would be arriving, the manager said, “In England you are always under pressure to buy. We are still working in the transfer market but we only want exceptional players.

“So far we have not found him. We have no problem in players wanting to join us. I’ll give you my phone for 24 hours! We can afford 90 per cent of them.”

Now, if you’ll excuse us Arseblog News is off to make a super, super quality cup of coffee and we might stick an exceptional shot of brandy in it too.

—

Updates via @arsenal and @johncrossmirror

*The following is a dramatic re-enactment based on what may or may not be true events*

Arsene enters the pre-Swansea press conference, politely smiles at the ten or so gentlemen sitting before him and starts by answering (with gusto) a regulation question about the FA Cup trip to Swansea from a member of the club’s in-house media team.

He looks around room and spots a salivating journalist wildly waving a dictaphone.

“Arsene…Arsene…Arsene pick me…pick me…” chokes the man.

The Arsenal communications officer gives Arsene a little nudge knowing what’s coming next before directing said journalist to ask his question before he wets himself.

“Arsene. Are you talking to Theo Walcott? Is he going to stay? Have you given him the money? Surely you’ve given him the money he wants? Wouldn’t it be great if he stayed at Arsenal? He’s top scorer for you this season, did you know that? And he’s quick. And he was picked by Sven for the World Cup when he was only 16. You should make him sign. Will he be a legend like Thierry Henry? You’ve got the power to make him stay haven’t you? You’ve not lost it yet…or have you? If you don’t make him sign he’ll go somewhere else. Why do you always sell everybody Arsene? Anyway, I’ve forgotten my original question…but it’s about Theo Walcott, have you anything to say about Theo. Anything at all.”

Arsene punches the Arsenal communications man on the thigh with his bony Gallic knuckle, lets out a sigh, pulls out a well-thumbed copy of ‘Media Platitudes for Winter Transfer Windows 2007-2011 – Volume III’ and begins:

“Well err…we are talking.

“It is very difficult to be predictable in these kinds of situations but our desire is there to do it as quickly as possible and [we are] ready to do it.

“I’m convinced it will have a positive effect on the rest of the team if we sign him.

“We are talking, we want to keep him here. Our priority is to keep players at the club.

“I only speak for our side, and my side is that we want him to stay here.

“Of course I don’t want to speak much more about that situation because it can be misinterpreted and I don’t think he is only interested by money. I don’t believe that.”

The room goes silent for a moment. All that can be heard is the sound of pencils scribbling the short hand for ‘FUCKING BASTARD HAS SHAFTED US AGAIN.’

Suddenly a second question is blurted out, this time from a chap with a coffee stained tie and a little drool wetting the corner of his mouth:

“Demba Ba. Demba Ba. Demba Ba – you’re not signing him? We thought you were interested? What about David Villa? Or Lopez? Adrian Lopez…plays in Spain, we Googled it. You must be signing somebody? Come on Arsene, papers to sell…please.”

Arsene doesn’t need his little leather-bound volume this time; he’s got this answer scribbled on the inside of his eyelids.

“First of all we have to make sure the players who are here stay here, after we look outside,” he says with a wry grin.

“Let’s first try to finalise with Theo Walcott and after if we need something else we will go somewhere else, but our first priority is that.

“The most important players for us are those who are here. Those who are on the transfer market will not help us win the games.”

There’s a baffled look on the collective faces of the assembled journalists. “Surely he didn’t just completely fuck us for the second time in two minutes?”

Silence.

Arsene gets to his feet and walks towards the door in anticipation of a cup of tea. However, before he turns the handle he grins remembering one last piece of news. He doesn’t want them to leave empty handed, that would be rude.

“We have Diaby and Santos coming back into full training. They are not completely match-fit, but they are back.”

He winks and walks out.

“Perhaps I’ll check Twitter in an hour and see how this has gone down with the fans,” he chuckles to himself.

Jack Wilshere says he hasn’t given up hope of persuading Theo Walcott to sign a new deal at Arsenal although the England midfielder admits the future of his teammate is not in his hands.

Having committed his future to the club alongside Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs and Carl Jenkinson, Wilshere is hoping that Arsene Wenger’s new emphasis on young British talent will prove alluring during negotiations.

“I think Theo looked at that,” Wilshere told The Sun after the victory over Wigan.

“We’re all great friends, the British boys. We all go out together, have meals together and we all sit together when we’re on the road.

“Everybody at the club wants Theo to re-sign. I’m always winding him up, saying ‘C’mon Theo, sign’.

“But that is something he has got to sort out. It is up to him and the club to reach an agreement and I hope they do.

“Theo’s been great for us and he knows what he means to us and the fans. Five of us British boys have just signed so hopefully he can be the sixth and cap it off.”

Speaking about his own new deal, which was signed with a minimum of fuss recently, Wilshere stressed how easy it was to sign on the dotted line with his local club.

“It was nice to sign a new contract. It’s a great club. It’s like home, my friends and family are down the road. I’ve shown commitment to the club and they’ve shown commitment to me. We have a good thing going on.”

In other news Denilson (remember him?) claims he’s not yet sure what his future holds. The Brazilian international, who has been on loan with former club Sao Paulo for what seems like an age, is somehow still under contract at the Emirates but will no doubt be looking for a new club when he returns from his homeland at the end of June.

“I will see out my contract [with Sao Paulo] which ends on June 30 2013,” Denilson told Globo Esporte.” But I don’t know what will happen after that.

“I hope my situation is solved quickly so I have nothing to worry about and so I can remain calm for the rest of the season.”

Judging by how quickly Denilson does anything on a football pitch we suspect he may be in line for his pension by the time he finds a new club. Or not. Whatever.

Carl Jenkinson says he’s ‘over the moon’ about signing a new deal at Arsenal and is eager to repay those who’ve helped him develop  over the last 18 months.

Signed from Charlton with only a handful of League Two appearances to his name, the childhood Gooner has come on leaps and bounds under the stewardship of Arsene Wenger securing a berth as a first team regular and making his first appearance at international level for England.

Reflecting on an amazing 2012, capped off by his putting pen-to-paper on a long-term contract, Jenkinson told Arsenal.com how proud he was of his achievements.

“Obviously I’m over the moon – really happy. I see my future at this football club and I’m delighted they see things the same way.

“Signing the contract shows commitment from me, which Arsenal can always count on, but it’s a big commitment from them as well. People here clearly have belief in me, and now I have to make sure I prove them right.

“I’m obviously really pleased with my progress over the past 18 months. Of course there have been some challenging times along the way, and I’ve had to work really hard, but I’m pleased with where I am now and I’m so happy with the new contract.

“Now I just need to take every day as it comes, working and training hard.”

Carl also had a word about signing on the dotted line alongside three fellow Englishman – Gibbs, Wilshere and Oxlade-Chamberlain – and Welshman Aaron Ramsey.

“We’re an English club and I think the core of the squad should reflect that,” he continued. “That’s why I’m delighted the other boys have signed up with me.

“Arsenal has such a vast scouting system that it can pick up great players from numerous other countries, and that will always be the case, but I think it’s fantastic and appropriate to have an English core. It’s something the [English] fans can relate to.”

At the pre-Wigan press conference Arsene Wenger reasserted his belief that Theo Walcott will sign a new deal at the club.

“My gut feeling is that he belongs to this club and I hope he will do it and sign for us. I am convinced he will stay,” he said.

Taken at face value that’s very positive, except that as Arseblog News highlighted yesterday he’s said pretty much exactly the same thing before the departure of (amongst others) Ashley Cole, Mathieu Flamini, Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie.

In other words, despite speaking passionately and optimistically about a resolution, inside his head the boss was probably wondering what to have for lunch as he auto-piloted a course through the usual inane press questions.

After waving goodbye to the broadcast cameras, the boss then got quizzed on the subject again by the print media and opened up a little more on why he feels Walcott should stay…without actually saying he thinks it will happen.

“I am happy to pay Theo the money he deserves but I feel as well that I bought him at 16 years of age and spent a lot of money on him,” he clarified; a standpoint which is different to paying Theo what Theo’s advisors think he deserves.

“If you put them in at 17 or 18, you have to stand up for them. You know you risk losing games while they are learning their job. Once you have produced them, you want to say, ‘OK, let’s stay together and win together.’

“Somewhere along the line they need to give back to the club what the club has given to them. It is easier to take a player of 25 and put him in the team because you know what you are getting.”

Referencing the sale of both Fabregas and Van Persie, Wenger also highlighted why he felt Walcott’s case is different.

“After when a guy gets to 30, you can understand it is his last contract and if he feels he wants a change, I can understand that. This is a more sensitive age, but basically, it is a reward for our policy.

“When [Cesc] Fabregas says to me, ‘I want to go back to Barcelona,’ it is difficult for me to say, ‘No, why should you?’ He is from Barcelona. He has been educated there. In that sense it is easier with the English players. They feel at home.

“[Van Persie] was 29. Theo is 23. I believe it is important we keep him.”

Important it may be, but when five other players sign new deals in the blink of an eye it really highlights the lack of movement on the Walcott front.

In a way it’s easy to understand Theo’s dilemma – this next contract stands to be the biggest of his career and subsequently it’s the most important. It would appear he’d like to stay, but he doesn’t seem too keen on staying if he doesn’t feel like he’s going to be valued like he might be (financially) elsewhere.

The fact is though, the club can’t bend over every time a player wants to renegotiate his contract – it sets a dangerous precedent, especially when other clubs can and are willing to pay more.

Playing for The Arsenal needs to be about more than money and that is essentially what Wenger is relying on Theo to realise. You can’t make someone love the club, as is the case with Jack Wilshere, but players at least need to take pride in what the club stands for.

Does he, as he stated not long ago, really want to emulate Thierry Henry’s legendary status? Or would he rather pocket the extra cash and become another footnote in the club’s history? If it’s the latter, using the former to play on the emotions of supporters isn’t particularly gentlemanly even if it made for a good sound bite.

For all the criticism Arsenal’s stance may garner from those caught up in the ‘necessity of now’ Arseblog News can’t help but feel the club are trying to deal with this situation in the correct manner.